His wrist injury has cast a cloud over his Open title defence and seen the bookies slash his chances of winning from 16-1 to 33-1.

Missed the cut on his last appearance at Royal Birkdale in 1998 and needs a good week to boost his chances of making the 2008 Ryder Cup team.

Since he won the Open last year, Harrington has failed to win again on one of the main tours though he did capture the Hassan II Trophy in Morocco last October and successfully defended the Irish PGA last weekend.

With his Ryder Cup place in his pocket thanks to two European Tour wins this year, McDowell is buzzing with excitement about the Open.

The first round leader at Hoylake in 2006, he faded to tied 61st but feels better equipped to deal with the pressure this time.

Making his fifth start in the Open, he has played 12 rounds with a scoring average of 72.83.

Lowest score 66. Highest score 79. In the Open he has shot three rounds in the 60s.

Betting: 40-1.

Damien McGrane

Age: 37. Ht: 5’8”. Wt: 160lbs. World ranking: 170

Open record: Debut.

Hard work and dedication finally paid off for McGrane when he captured his maiden European Tour title with a nine stroke win in the Volvo China Open in March. Learnt his trade under Joey Purcell at Portmarnock.

Ranked 21st on the 2008 Order of Merit, he has broken par in exactly half the rounds of golf he has played this year.

Not a fan of pre-qualifying for Major championships, McGrane clinched his place at Birkdale as one of leading non-exempt players from the Order of Merit following the BMW PGA at Wentworth in May.

Harrington plans to retain the Open

Padraig Harrington handed back the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale yesterday and immediately made plans to tuck it back into his hand luggage on Sunday night.

The Dubliner, 36, knows how close he came to becoming another Open clown at Carnoustie last year when he survived a final hole meltdown and dodged a bullet from Sergio Garcia before winning in sudden-death.

Ireland's Open challengers

Irish golf is riding the crest of a wave with four wins from the last 12 majors. And with seven men in the field at St Andrews, the green army has a great chance of making it five out of 13. He’s your quick guide to Ireland’s magnificent seven at the Home of Golf.